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Hear current audio messages by Pastor Scott Burr at:
http://sermon.net/dayspringchurchag

Monday, December 12, 2016

Loving God (Pt. 2)

(Part 2 of 2)

“And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment.”-Mark 12:30

In addition to loving God with all our heart and all our soul, we are also instructed to love God with all of our mind. What we think about God is vitality important to how we will love and live for Him. Proverbs 23:7 declares “As a man thinks, so he is.” Loving God means thinking rightly about Him.

Unfortunately our minds can be tainted and jaded by the wisdom of this world, the cares of life, and the corruption of sin; causing us to view God in a way that diminishes our faith and trust in Him. That is why the Apostle Paul admonished believers in Romans 12:2:

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” 

We must keep our minds focused on the good, acceptable and perfect will of God. The mind is a battle ground for ideas, philosophies, and ideologies; each one trying to gain a foothold into our way of thinking. The mind is where we reason, process information, and cultivate imaginations. This makes the focus of our minds extremely significant.

The Apostle Paul recognized this when he penned Philippians 4:8-9:

“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy-mediate on these things.”

We demonstrate our love towards God when we fill our minds with those things that honor and please Him.

Finally, we are instructed in Mark 12 to love God with all of our strength. To love God with all our strength is to love Him with our faculties, abilities, and time. Loving God is more than lip service:

“My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.”-1 John 3:18

We can do this in several very practical ways. We demonstrate love for God when we demonstrate kindness and good works towards others:

 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.”-Matthew 25:37-40.

We demonstrate our love for God each time that we share the Good News with our friends and family:

“And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!”-Romans 10:15

We demonstrate our love for God when we worship Him:

“I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.-Psalm 104:33

When we love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength; we are loving Him with all we are and He deserves nothing less!

Pastor Scott Burr
Dayspring Community Church


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